History

Coffee has a very rich and ancient history. It has been a beverage from the rich, the poor, the working class, royalty and of warriors. Some believe coffee's first cultivation dates back to 575 B.C. in Yemen. It is said that a pilgrims from India named Baba Budan smuggled out the first seeds to be germinated from the very tightly controlled areas of the Middle East. Coffee quickly found a place in south Asia’s traditions and culture until the 1700's when a disease called “rust” wiped out many of the plantations. We are reintroducing coffee and coffee culture back to South Asia where it has very strong roots.

Farming

Coffee is grown at two elevations in Nepal. One area is called the Terai, Robusta variety of coffee grows best at this low elevation. Robusta coffee loves a warm tropical climate and does not like direct sun. We have discovered that different varieties of Robusta have been developed over the past few years. The second area where coffee grows in Nepal is in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains between 3000 and 6000 feet. These areas are in the districts of Palpa, Gulmi, Kavre and its surrounding. The Arabica variety of coffee grows best at these altitudes. Arabica coffee works best for the gourmet or specialty coffee.

Coffee has been grown in Nepal and sub-continent for hundreds of years. Many of the present tea plantations first planted coffee. Tea was the natural choice since it is resistant to the rust disease. In the 1980's coffee was replanted in the Terai and the hill regions of Nepal. The new varieties have thrived and are producing fair amounts of coffee. When buying our coffee you are helping us create jobs and develop the coffee industry of Nepal. Initially farmers grew coffee out of curiosity. From the mid-seventies, coffee was grown as an income-generating crop and nurseries were also established for commercial purposes. During mid-eighties, the coffee production rose fairly high. However, during late eighties marketing problem and poor returns from the crop forced many farmers to cut down their mature trees and plant other crops.

With the popularity of Nepali coffee among the tourists and expatriates, the demand of Nepali coffee in the domestic market improved from the mid nineties, creating renewed interest and the growers started planting coffee in an extensive way. There is no reliable data available on the production and productivity of coffee in Nepal. However, the area under coffee, dry cherry production and number of coffee producers in Nepal is in a constantly increasing trend.

Coffee Nursery

Coffee Growing Area

Ready for Plantation

Harvesting

The Arabica variety is hand picked and harvested during the months of December and January, while the Robusta variety in the months of March and April.

Processing

Coffee processing is predominantly dry processing in Nepal for the domestic as well as the international market. Two methods are used for processing. Dry processing at processor/roaster level and semi wet processing at farm and processor/roaster level. Immediately after harvest, farmers dry the fresh cherries for about 2 to 4 weeks. Which are then sold to the processors. Processors, who are mostly the marketers of coffee, process the dry cherries to produce green beans, roasted beans and ground coffee. Wet processing is still not popular among the processors due to the lack of technical know-how and the difficulty in processing the cherries within the first 24 hours of harvest.